Southeastern Massachusetts University (SMU), for example, was allocated $35 million in June of 1988 but was forced by the governor to return $1 million in December of that year, according to university spokesperson Greg Stone.

Despite an even smaller budget the following year, Stone says, SMU had to return another $1.3 million to the state in December, lowering its budget to $31.9 million.

"The mood is one of extreme frustration. Not only are you dealing with less but you seldom know from day-to-day what you're dealing with," says Stone. "People around here are wondering 'are we going to get paid in June?'"

To cope with these unexpected cuts, schools have generally had to resort to increases in student fees.

Under the present system, the state Board of Regents centrally regulates tuition levels but leaves the setting of fees to individual campuses. The Board has attempted to maintain control over student costs by asking schools to keep fees at less than 30 percent of tuition, but many schools have disregarded the terms of this voluntary agreement.

At Amherst and Lowell, fees represent 49 and 43 percent of these schools' respective tuitions, says Zoulas.

And even schools like SMU, which abide by the Regents' 30 percent limit, say they have found it necessary to levy fee increases to keep their heads above water.

Zoulas says fees state-wide have "skyrocketed," rising 185 percent in the past six years.

For many students, higher tuition and increased fees have made the hope of gaining a quality education a financial impossibility, inspiring a wave of protests against the budget cuts. Two weeks ago, more than 5000 students marched on the State House to demonstrate frustration with the state's inability to solve the problem.

According to Joseph A. Langis, executive director of the State Student Association of Massachusetts (SSAM), some 9000 academically-qualified students have been prevented from entering state schools for financial reasons.

Overall enrollment is down as well, due to shrinking school resources. Massachusetts saw a 3 percent decrease in the number of students attending state schools between spring 1989 and 1990, says Dars. He attributed this figure to "dwindling state support," saying the figure is "too large to blamed on demographics."

Students who are able to make ends meet says the combination of cuts and higher costs is "demoralizing."

"We're paying a lot more for a lot less," says Amherst's Chesnicka.

"It's taken it's toll, it's starting to hit hard," says David Varela, student government president at Framingham State College. "Unfortunately people don't realize that there are students who aren't prepared for these increases in tuition, fees and housing--some students can't cut it."

These problems which have been experienced by administrators, faculty and students are unlikely to improve in the near future, many observers say.